A/N: As this Fic is unbetad all mistakes are mine.
Here is a longer chapter the some reviewers asked for.
Thank you for your wonderful reviews so far. and for -us question replies
I can now receive anonymous replies. Thank you for pointing that out,
On with the show
********************************************
"Now would you like to try that again?" He said "you couldn't be any of those people as they are all dead.
Chapter 3
The four strangers looked stunned for a few moments before rapidly turning their heads and looking at each other.
Harry looked at Dumbledor then turned to Severus "Sev, What does he mean we are all dead?" He looked back at Dumbledor "What do you mean we are all dead. We all talked to you just this morning." His voice getting higher as he started to panic
Severus was just about to answer when Sirius jumped in "Hey Kiddo, Calm down. We will sort this out,"
Harry turned to Sirius His panicking stopped as soon as it started. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's been a bad day and I think it's going to get worse before it gets better." He slumped back into the chair weariness and pain etched onto his face, before he pulled himself up and erased all signs of fatigue. Hoping the older men hadn't noticed so they could get this mess sorted out. Unluckily for him both Remus and Severus had caught his look.
Before anyone could say something Severus's black eyes locked with the headmasters. "Sir before anything else can be said, could you please have a Medi-witch or wizard to check Harry's injuries."
Albus looked at the younger man and considered this request before turning to his fire. He took a small box from the mantelpiece and threw the powder into the fire calling as he did this "Poppy Pomfreys office."
A couple of seconds later and Madame Pomfrey's head appeared in the fire. "Yes Albus, What can I do for you?" She enquired.
"Poppy could you please come to my office and please bring some supplies with you. I think you will need some burn salve, pain killing potion and various other broad band potions." He replied.
Albus turned to look at the quartet. "Now Let's begin again with you names. Shall we?"
"Professor Dumbledor, I am really Harry Potter and these three are who they say are. And we did all talk to you this morning before the battle."
"Battle. What battle? There hasn't been a battle." Said the Headmaster.
"Headmaster, That's one of things we don't understand. Voldermort attacked this morning we had been fighting for a couple of hours when Harry and Voldermort began their duel. They fought for about an hour before us three managed to make our way to them. Just as we got to them Harry managed to cast the 'Complete mortis' spell at Voldermort." Answered Severus
Remus continued the dialogue "Voldermort cast a spell that none of us have seen before. We were all engulfed in a swirly grey mist. It felt like we were walking through molasses, and was very hard to breathe. Severus noticed a thinner patch in the mist and we made our weary towards it."
"Once we escaped from the mist Harry noticed that there were no signs of the battle. So instead of going straight to the infirmary, we came straight here instead." Finished Sirius.
Albus looked thoughtfully at the four. Pondering on their words.
"Professor, Uhm how did we die?" Harry couldn't resist asking. The other three men stiffened up not knowing whether they wanted that question answered.
"Harry James Potter died as a baby." Replied Professor Dumbledor.
The group thought for a moment. "It wouldn't happen to have been on October the 31st 1981 at Godrics Hollow? Would it?" Asked Harry.
"Yes it was. Everyone knows that." Said Albus.
"Shit!" Exclaimed Harry.
"Harry. Language." Sirius chastised.
"Padfoot, I've heard worse out of your mouth. Listening to you has broadened my vocabulary." Smirked Harry. Severus snorted; Remus smiled a small smile. Even Albus smiled a little.
Sirius opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before he gave in and smiled at his godson. "Harry do as I say not as I do." He finally said
Severus couldn't resist. "Black the landed guppy look looks well on you. You should try it more often,"
"You slimy git... " started Sirius.
"Sirius, Severus, Will you two behave now is not the time or the place for this." Chastised Remus
"He started it." Replied Sirius childishly and he flopped back into his chair sulking.
Harry and Remus looked at each other and burst out laughing at Sirius's antics.
Severus turned back to Professor Dumbledor. "I don't know how we can prove that we are who we say we are. I will take Veritaserum if you wish. I would rather not have Harry take it, as he is only seventeen. Beyond that I don't know what else we can do."
Remus and Sirius looked at each other; Sirius gave a slight nod. "We both are willing to take it as well."
"I am also willing to take Veritaserum." Chimed in Harry. Three Heads whipped round and glared at him. "But I don't think these three will allow it. If anyone can think of another way I can help Please let me know." He finished.
"We'll think about it." Said Sirius noncommittally
They all looked back at Dumbledore who seemed to be weighing the words up. "I think that is a good idea and if you are willing that will make it easier. There is a weaker version of the truth serum that can be used or maybe a truth charm." He looked at the four across his desk for agreement and got four nods agreeing to his proposal.
"Now I am willing to call you by the names you introduced yourselves with, but at the moment I cannot have you interacting with any one else in the school until we found out the truth. And then we are going to have to talk again as you four are going to come as a bit of a shock to everyone."
The four men agreed to the headmaster's demands just as there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." called Albus and Poppy Pomfrey bustled into the office carrying a tray of potion bottles and vials.
Madame Pomfrey placed the tray on a small coffee table that was off to one side of the office there was a low high backed padded chair drawn up next to it.
Madame Pomfrey turned to the four strangers, and took a quick visual diagnosis of their injuries and decided that the youngest was in the most need of her ministrations. She looked at Harry; "you're up first young man. Can you make it to this chair?"
"Yes I can, call me Harry." Replied Harry as he got up and slowly made his way over to the chair. Halfway there he stumbled a bit and Madame Pomfrey caught him and finished guiding him to the chair. He sat down heavily and let out a long breath.
The Medi-witch withdrew her wand and started a scan. She started from the top of his head and slowly started moving down his Harry's body. Her wand hovered over his shoulder wound and she harrumphed and then continued down his body. Ever so often her wand hovered over an injury and there would either be a soft harrumph or a tut.
Harry thought it funniest when Poppy's eyebrows would meet in the middle of her forehead and her lips screw up into a small tight circle, He had to look resolutely at Severus to stop himself from snickering at that face.
"Professor Dumbledor, Sir this young man needs to be in the infirmary. His worst injury is the shoulder wound; He has lost a lot of blood from this wound. The same arm is suffering from a broken wrist."
Harry looked down at his wrist and noticed for the first time that it was broken. He glanced at the older wizards that he had been in this morning's battle with. All three were glaring at him. "I didn't know," he told them before they could say something.
Poppy ignored them all and carried on listing Harry's injuries to The Headmaster. "He is mentally physically and magically exhausted. He is suffering the effects from numerous curses. I will need to go back to the infirmary to get a post-cruciatus potion as someone has held this young man under the cruciatus curse for some time. I don't know exactly how long this was all I can tell you is that it was longer than five minutes but shorter than ten." She finished,
Three glares returned to stare harder at Harry. He glared back "It's not as if I had time to tell you. What was I supposed to do. Please Mr. Riddle could you freeze your curse while I just list my various injuries to my overprotective protectors." He snarkily told them.
Severus's glare turned into a smirk, Remus had to bite back a laugh but couldn't stop himself from grinning. Sirius's glare turned brittle he stared hard at Severus then turned to look at his godson "you are spending way too much time around that slimy greasy git." He snarled.
"Listen to me you flea bitten mongrel, you ever talk to Harry like that again I will Hex you so hard and fast that it will make the cruciatus curse look like a tickle jinx." He bit out icily at Sirius before ignoring the man and walked over to Harry while looking through his robe pockets.
"Boys," Snapped Madame Pomfrey. "If you have finished acting like you are second years do you think you could act your age while I see to my patient?" With that she started uncapping various vials and thrusting them into Harry's and glaring at him until he had finished the potions off.
When Harry had finished with the various potions that Madame Pomfrey. He took the one that Severus was handing him and started to raise the vial to his lips. Before the small bottle reached them the bottle was snatched out of his hand.
Poppy glared at Severus "What do you think you are doing with my patient?" She didn't even wait for an answer lifted the vial to her eyes and peered intently at the mixture.
"It is a post-cruciatus potion. You said you didn't have one and as I did it would be a shame to make Harry wait for a potion when I had one on hand," Severus retorted
"I will not give my patients inferior potions." Said Poppy. "This potion could be an inferior mixture."
Throughout Poppy's diatribe into the post-cruciatus potion she hadn't seen the reactions of the four strangers as she was still looking at the potion. Harry and Remus had gone so still barely breathing. Sirius had perked up a large smile showing on his face.
The worst reaction had been Severus's. He pulled himself up to his full height of six foot two inches. Looked haughtily down his nose at Madame Pomfrey "I am a potions Master. I don't make inferior potions." He bit out in a soft deadly voice.
Harry reached out and placed a hand on Severus's arm. Severus looked at the hand then looked at Harry, who shook his head not wanting Severus to attack the Medi-witch with his rapier sharp tongue.
Severus pulled his arm out from under Harry's hand, glared at Madame Pomfrey. And stalked back to his chair. He sat down stiffly scowling at a portrait of a former headmaster.
Poppy having missed all this handed the potion to Harry who quickly downed it. He grimaced at the taste. "I suppose it's acceptable." The witch not realizing she was rubbing salt on a very open sore.
Severus glared even harder at the witch, a snarl forming on his lips. No one had ever before questioned his potion making abilities. Well no one apart from that upstart half a brain idiot that was The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. He opened his mouth ready to lay into the Medi-witch when he heard Harry calling his name,
Harry looked at Severus willing him to hear him in his rage. Severus glared at him "Please don't." Harry plead. Severus's gaze softened a little bit. He nodded to Harry agreeing to his plea, then turned away and scowled at the portrait again.
Madame Pomfrey still none the wiser of her near death by razor sharp tongue, started to walk to Severus to start doctoring on him. Harry saw what was going to happen and decided to step in. "Madame Pomfrey, Could you please sort Sirius's injuries first, and then Remus's. I will sort Severus's out when we get to our room."
Madame Pomfrey looked like she was going to argue but then she looked at Severus for the first time since taking the potion off of Harry. She nodded to Harry and changed directions to Sirius.
Harry let out a long breath that he didn't know he had been holding; He relaxed in to the back of the chair his head falling back his eyes closed. The different potions started to work and he fell into a semi sleep.
________________________________________________________________________________
While all this had been happening Albus had kept quiet. He had decided to let the contretemps play out. He would step in if he needed to but as it had played out he hadn't had to.
He was starting to believe they were who they said they were. He remembered the Sirius, Remus and Severus that he had known from their school days before they had all died. He would have said there was no way in hell that Sirius and Severus could be in the same room without hexing each other.
That is what had confused him when they had walked into his office. Even though they hadn't really talked to each there had been a decidedly lack of animosity on both sides. They had soon fallen into acting how he expected them to act.
He looked at Severus Snape. He could see the scowling boy that he had once known in the man. His Severus had been killed when the Death eaters had found out he was a spy. He had only been nineteen when had died. The man in front of him was full of contradictions He was in in some ways harder than the Severus he had known and in other ways softer.
Remus Lupin was easier to read he was exactly how he had remembered, a gentle intelligent man. With a backbone of steel loyal to those who warranted his loyalty. Kind to everyone even slytherins who would not give him the time of day. The Remus he had known had been stabbed by a relation of a victim, who had been killed by a werewolf. It didn't matter that Remus was no where near the vicinity of the accident. his lycanthropy was fairly well known. They hadn't even been able to get justice for Remus, as according to Ministry Policy werewolves are not human but beasts and therefore not covered by human laws.
Sirius Black was completely different from the boy he had known. There were still flashes where the boy would shine through and even though both Sirius's were never completely still. The younger Sirius was filled with an excited energy quick to laughter bouncing around in exuberance. The Sirius sat in front of him was filled with a nervous restless energy He was gaunt, His hair straggly. His blue eyes were shadowed with pain.
His gaze turned to the youngest man, the one calling himself Harry James Potter. He too had shadowed eyes and he could tell it was mainly the seventeen-year-old that was keeping Severus and Sirius apart. If he was Harry Potter it was going to cause a world of hurt for some of his professors. Reopening wounds that still had not healed fully. He wondered about the relationship between the Slytherin and the Gryffindor. He could tell it was more than friendship. Just how far had it gone?
Professor Dumbledor reached for a small bell that was on his desk and rung it. Almost instantly a house elf appeared with a small pop. "Ah Kali could you please get the suite of rooms on the fourth floor behind Rowena Ravenclaw ready for visitors please?" Asked Dumbledor. He ha decided to put them in a neutral room.
"Yes Sir. Immediately sir, she replied as she popped back out of the Headmasters office.
Here is a longer chapter the some reviewers asked for.
Thank you for your wonderful reviews so far. and for -us question replies
I can now receive anonymous replies. Thank you for pointing that out,
On with the show
********************************************
"Now would you like to try that again?" He said "you couldn't be any of those people as they are all dead.
Chapter 3
The four strangers looked stunned for a few moments before rapidly turning their heads and looking at each other.
Harry looked at Dumbledor then turned to Severus "Sev, What does he mean we are all dead?" He looked back at Dumbledor "What do you mean we are all dead. We all talked to you just this morning." His voice getting higher as he started to panic
Severus was just about to answer when Sirius jumped in "Hey Kiddo, Calm down. We will sort this out,"
Harry turned to Sirius His panicking stopped as soon as it started. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's been a bad day and I think it's going to get worse before it gets better." He slumped back into the chair weariness and pain etched onto his face, before he pulled himself up and erased all signs of fatigue. Hoping the older men hadn't noticed so they could get this mess sorted out. Unluckily for him both Remus and Severus had caught his look.
Before anyone could say something Severus's black eyes locked with the headmasters. "Sir before anything else can be said, could you please have a Medi-witch or wizard to check Harry's injuries."
Albus looked at the younger man and considered this request before turning to his fire. He took a small box from the mantelpiece and threw the powder into the fire calling as he did this "Poppy Pomfreys office."
A couple of seconds later and Madame Pomfrey's head appeared in the fire. "Yes Albus, What can I do for you?" She enquired.
"Poppy could you please come to my office and please bring some supplies with you. I think you will need some burn salve, pain killing potion and various other broad band potions." He replied.
Albus turned to look at the quartet. "Now Let's begin again with you names. Shall we?"
"Professor Dumbledor, I am really Harry Potter and these three are who they say are. And we did all talk to you this morning before the battle."
"Battle. What battle? There hasn't been a battle." Said the Headmaster.
"Headmaster, That's one of things we don't understand. Voldermort attacked this morning we had been fighting for a couple of hours when Harry and Voldermort began their duel. They fought for about an hour before us three managed to make our way to them. Just as we got to them Harry managed to cast the 'Complete mortis' spell at Voldermort." Answered Severus
Remus continued the dialogue "Voldermort cast a spell that none of us have seen before. We were all engulfed in a swirly grey mist. It felt like we were walking through molasses, and was very hard to breathe. Severus noticed a thinner patch in the mist and we made our weary towards it."
"Once we escaped from the mist Harry noticed that there were no signs of the battle. So instead of going straight to the infirmary, we came straight here instead." Finished Sirius.
Albus looked thoughtfully at the four. Pondering on their words.
"Professor, Uhm how did we die?" Harry couldn't resist asking. The other three men stiffened up not knowing whether they wanted that question answered.
"Harry James Potter died as a baby." Replied Professor Dumbledor.
The group thought for a moment. "It wouldn't happen to have been on October the 31st 1981 at Godrics Hollow? Would it?" Asked Harry.
"Yes it was. Everyone knows that." Said Albus.
"Shit!" Exclaimed Harry.
"Harry. Language." Sirius chastised.
"Padfoot, I've heard worse out of your mouth. Listening to you has broadened my vocabulary." Smirked Harry. Severus snorted; Remus smiled a small smile. Even Albus smiled a little.
Sirius opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before he gave in and smiled at his godson. "Harry do as I say not as I do." He finally said
Severus couldn't resist. "Black the landed guppy look looks well on you. You should try it more often,"
"You slimy git... " started Sirius.
"Sirius, Severus, Will you two behave now is not the time or the place for this." Chastised Remus
"He started it." Replied Sirius childishly and he flopped back into his chair sulking.
Harry and Remus looked at each other and burst out laughing at Sirius's antics.
Severus turned back to Professor Dumbledor. "I don't know how we can prove that we are who we say we are. I will take Veritaserum if you wish. I would rather not have Harry take it, as he is only seventeen. Beyond that I don't know what else we can do."
Remus and Sirius looked at each other; Sirius gave a slight nod. "We both are willing to take it as well."
"I am also willing to take Veritaserum." Chimed in Harry. Three Heads whipped round and glared at him. "But I don't think these three will allow it. If anyone can think of another way I can help Please let me know." He finished.
"We'll think about it." Said Sirius noncommittally
They all looked back at Dumbledore who seemed to be weighing the words up. "I think that is a good idea and if you are willing that will make it easier. There is a weaker version of the truth serum that can be used or maybe a truth charm." He looked at the four across his desk for agreement and got four nods agreeing to his proposal.
"Now I am willing to call you by the names you introduced yourselves with, but at the moment I cannot have you interacting with any one else in the school until we found out the truth. And then we are going to have to talk again as you four are going to come as a bit of a shock to everyone."
The four men agreed to the headmaster's demands just as there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." called Albus and Poppy Pomfrey bustled into the office carrying a tray of potion bottles and vials.
Madame Pomfrey placed the tray on a small coffee table that was off to one side of the office there was a low high backed padded chair drawn up next to it.
Madame Pomfrey turned to the four strangers, and took a quick visual diagnosis of their injuries and decided that the youngest was in the most need of her ministrations. She looked at Harry; "you're up first young man. Can you make it to this chair?"
"Yes I can, call me Harry." Replied Harry as he got up and slowly made his way over to the chair. Halfway there he stumbled a bit and Madame Pomfrey caught him and finished guiding him to the chair. He sat down heavily and let out a long breath.
The Medi-witch withdrew her wand and started a scan. She started from the top of his head and slowly started moving down his Harry's body. Her wand hovered over his shoulder wound and she harrumphed and then continued down his body. Ever so often her wand hovered over an injury and there would either be a soft harrumph or a tut.
Harry thought it funniest when Poppy's eyebrows would meet in the middle of her forehead and her lips screw up into a small tight circle, He had to look resolutely at Severus to stop himself from snickering at that face.
"Professor Dumbledor, Sir this young man needs to be in the infirmary. His worst injury is the shoulder wound; He has lost a lot of blood from this wound. The same arm is suffering from a broken wrist."
Harry looked down at his wrist and noticed for the first time that it was broken. He glanced at the older wizards that he had been in this morning's battle with. All three were glaring at him. "I didn't know," he told them before they could say something.
Poppy ignored them all and carried on listing Harry's injuries to The Headmaster. "He is mentally physically and magically exhausted. He is suffering the effects from numerous curses. I will need to go back to the infirmary to get a post-cruciatus potion as someone has held this young man under the cruciatus curse for some time. I don't know exactly how long this was all I can tell you is that it was longer than five minutes but shorter than ten." She finished,
Three glares returned to stare harder at Harry. He glared back "It's not as if I had time to tell you. What was I supposed to do. Please Mr. Riddle could you freeze your curse while I just list my various injuries to my overprotective protectors." He snarkily told them.
Severus's glare turned into a smirk, Remus had to bite back a laugh but couldn't stop himself from grinning. Sirius's glare turned brittle he stared hard at Severus then turned to look at his godson "you are spending way too much time around that slimy greasy git." He snarled.
"Listen to me you flea bitten mongrel, you ever talk to Harry like that again I will Hex you so hard and fast that it will make the cruciatus curse look like a tickle jinx." He bit out icily at Sirius before ignoring the man and walked over to Harry while looking through his robe pockets.
"Boys," Snapped Madame Pomfrey. "If you have finished acting like you are second years do you think you could act your age while I see to my patient?" With that she started uncapping various vials and thrusting them into Harry's and glaring at him until he had finished the potions off.
When Harry had finished with the various potions that Madame Pomfrey. He took the one that Severus was handing him and started to raise the vial to his lips. Before the small bottle reached them the bottle was snatched out of his hand.
Poppy glared at Severus "What do you think you are doing with my patient?" She didn't even wait for an answer lifted the vial to her eyes and peered intently at the mixture.
"It is a post-cruciatus potion. You said you didn't have one and as I did it would be a shame to make Harry wait for a potion when I had one on hand," Severus retorted
"I will not give my patients inferior potions." Said Poppy. "This potion could be an inferior mixture."
Throughout Poppy's diatribe into the post-cruciatus potion she hadn't seen the reactions of the four strangers as she was still looking at the potion. Harry and Remus had gone so still barely breathing. Sirius had perked up a large smile showing on his face.
The worst reaction had been Severus's. He pulled himself up to his full height of six foot two inches. Looked haughtily down his nose at Madame Pomfrey "I am a potions Master. I don't make inferior potions." He bit out in a soft deadly voice.
Harry reached out and placed a hand on Severus's arm. Severus looked at the hand then looked at Harry, who shook his head not wanting Severus to attack the Medi-witch with his rapier sharp tongue.
Severus pulled his arm out from under Harry's hand, glared at Madame Pomfrey. And stalked back to his chair. He sat down stiffly scowling at a portrait of a former headmaster.
Poppy having missed all this handed the potion to Harry who quickly downed it. He grimaced at the taste. "I suppose it's acceptable." The witch not realizing she was rubbing salt on a very open sore.
Severus glared even harder at the witch, a snarl forming on his lips. No one had ever before questioned his potion making abilities. Well no one apart from that upstart half a brain idiot that was The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. He opened his mouth ready to lay into the Medi-witch when he heard Harry calling his name,
Harry looked at Severus willing him to hear him in his rage. Severus glared at him "Please don't." Harry plead. Severus's gaze softened a little bit. He nodded to Harry agreeing to his plea, then turned away and scowled at the portrait again.
Madame Pomfrey still none the wiser of her near death by razor sharp tongue, started to walk to Severus to start doctoring on him. Harry saw what was going to happen and decided to step in. "Madame Pomfrey, Could you please sort Sirius's injuries first, and then Remus's. I will sort Severus's out when we get to our room."
Madame Pomfrey looked like she was going to argue but then she looked at Severus for the first time since taking the potion off of Harry. She nodded to Harry and changed directions to Sirius.
Harry let out a long breath that he didn't know he had been holding; He relaxed in to the back of the chair his head falling back his eyes closed. The different potions started to work and he fell into a semi sleep.
________________________________________________________________________________
While all this had been happening Albus had kept quiet. He had decided to let the contretemps play out. He would step in if he needed to but as it had played out he hadn't had to.
He was starting to believe they were who they said they were. He remembered the Sirius, Remus and Severus that he had known from their school days before they had all died. He would have said there was no way in hell that Sirius and Severus could be in the same room without hexing each other.
That is what had confused him when they had walked into his office. Even though they hadn't really talked to each there had been a decidedly lack of animosity on both sides. They had soon fallen into acting how he expected them to act.
He looked at Severus Snape. He could see the scowling boy that he had once known in the man. His Severus had been killed when the Death eaters had found out he was a spy. He had only been nineteen when had died. The man in front of him was full of contradictions He was in in some ways harder than the Severus he had known and in other ways softer.
Remus Lupin was easier to read he was exactly how he had remembered, a gentle intelligent man. With a backbone of steel loyal to those who warranted his loyalty. Kind to everyone even slytherins who would not give him the time of day. The Remus he had known had been stabbed by a relation of a victim, who had been killed by a werewolf. It didn't matter that Remus was no where near the vicinity of the accident. his lycanthropy was fairly well known. They hadn't even been able to get justice for Remus, as according to Ministry Policy werewolves are not human but beasts and therefore not covered by human laws.
Sirius Black was completely different from the boy he had known. There were still flashes where the boy would shine through and even though both Sirius's were never completely still. The younger Sirius was filled with an excited energy quick to laughter bouncing around in exuberance. The Sirius sat in front of him was filled with a nervous restless energy He was gaunt, His hair straggly. His blue eyes were shadowed with pain.
His gaze turned to the youngest man, the one calling himself Harry James Potter. He too had shadowed eyes and he could tell it was mainly the seventeen-year-old that was keeping Severus and Sirius apart. If he was Harry Potter it was going to cause a world of hurt for some of his professors. Reopening wounds that still had not healed fully. He wondered about the relationship between the Slytherin and the Gryffindor. He could tell it was more than friendship. Just how far had it gone?
Professor Dumbledor reached for a small bell that was on his desk and rung it. Almost instantly a house elf appeared with a small pop. "Ah Kali could you please get the suite of rooms on the fourth floor behind Rowena Ravenclaw ready for visitors please?" Asked Dumbledor. He ha decided to put them in a neutral room.
"Yes Sir. Immediately sir, she replied as she popped back out of the Headmasters office.
